by Charles Entwistle
Lt. Colonel Charles (Chuck) Entwistle decided to fulfill a lifelong dream when he retired from twenty one years service in the Marine Corps. He had always loved his undergraduate literature courses and became a non-traditional student at Vermont College, the first U.S. college to offer a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Since graduation Chuck has written for the magazines, "Highlights for Children" and "Crickett" and been quite active in children's literature.
Chuck tells the tale of Billy Gaston, a simple, honest, Virginia farm boy who had made a promise to his Pa, who had gone off to war. Billy now had to be "the man of the house" in his father's absence. But things weren't going well for Virginia at the end of the Civil War. A retreating Rebel deserter, desperate to steal whatever food he could find, invaded Billy's farm, and seriously injured his mother. The only doctor in town had gone miles away to help at the battlefield. Should Billy break the "curfew" and leave his mother and sister to go through enemy lines to fine Doc?
In solving his dilemma, Billy grows up quite a bit. He faces his challenges bravely to try to keep his promise to protect Ma, little sis Cassie, and the farm. And when he is unjustly accused of murder, he is not afraid to confront the real culprit.
